USS Razorback (SS-394)

Moored along the Arkansas River at North Little Rock, USS Razorback (SS-394) presents a rare surviving example of a Balao-class submarine with an exceptionally long operational life. Laid down at Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1943 and commissioned in April 1944, Razorback went to war in the Pacific, conducting multiple patrols from Pearl Harbor and Midway into contested waters off Luzon, the East China Sea, and the Okhotsk Sea. Her record includes anti-shipping operations, surface gun engagements against wooden cargo vessels, and lifeguard duties that brought downed American airmen out of the water near Japan. Razorback entered Tokyo Bay on 31 August 1945 with other U.S. submarines for the formal Japanese surrender, anchoring her directly to a pivotal moment in naval history. After World War II she continued in front-line service, ultimately achieving 56 years of commissioned duty under two flags before being adopted by the state of Arkansas in 2004. As part of the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum complex, the boat now serves as a tangible reference point for submarine engineering, crew life, and Cold War–era modernization practices.